Out With The Old, In With The New
Out With The Old, In With The New ''is the sixth episode of To Be The Best. Plot Declan, Pikachu, Leaf, and Gary are sitting in a diner, eating breakfast foods. They all seem to be happy, though Leaf and Gary appear a little nervous. Narrator: Fresh off yesterday’s victories at the Pewter City Gym, our heroes fuel up before their trip to Cerulean City today! But it seems Gary and Leaf have other plans… Gary: So, uh, Dec… Declan perks up. Declan: Yeah? Gary: I, uh- Leaf elbows him. He flinches. Gary: We… have something to tell you. Declan cocks his head, Pikachu mirroring his action. Gary: Well, it’s kind of a long story, but yesterday while we were at the museum- Leaf: We got selected to be interns! Gary shoots her a look. She blushes Leaf: Sorry, I couldn’t help it. Declan kind of stares for a second, Pikachu once again mirroring his action. Declan: So… What does this mean? Leaf clears her throat. Leaf: It means we’ll have to… split up. Declan gasps. Declan: But.. Gary! Your gym badges! Gary: I know. I talked to the staff about it and they said I would have the opportunity to challenge all the gyms on errands, but me and Leaf would still operate out of Pewter City. We don’t want to hold you back, Dec. Declan closes his eyes and his head droops in sadness. Suddenly, he perks back up. Declan: Then let’s make our few hours together great! Leaf and Gary smile and nod. A quick montage is shown of the group’s next few hours- Gary eating a rather large slice of cake, a game of volleyball between them and their pokemon, and finally, a shopping trip to the pokemart. Now, Declan faces Leaf and Gary, with Pikachu on his shoulder, at the Pewter City limit. Declan: So I guess this is it. Gary: I guess so. Declan hugs Leaf tightly. She hugs him back, a tear in her eye. Declan: I love you. Don’t forget to call. Leaf, whispering: I love you too. Gary wipes his hands on his pants. Declan sees this and laughs. Gary: I’m, uh, not very good at this typa thing- Declan: Tauros crap. Come here, man. He opens his arms for Gary to hug him, and he does. Declan: I love you, dummy, Gary: Heh, I love you too, man. Declan: You call me whenever, you hear? I can’t wait to battle you next. Gary: You got it! They let go of the embrace. Declan smiles at Leaf and Gary one last time before turning around and walking away. Pikachu hugs both of their legs and purrs before following him. It’s shown to be much later, as the sun is now a little lower in the sky. Declan is walking with Pikachu and Charmander. To one side of the dirt path they walk on lays a forest, while a mountain can be seen on the other. Declan: Why don’t we stop here for lunch, okay? Charmander and Pikachu nod. Declan sits down under a tree and pulls out some food. He has a sandwich for himself and two bowls of pokemon food for Pikachu and Charmander. The two pokemon cheer and start eating. Suddenly, a trainer approaches the group, taking them off guard. The trainer is a teenage boy wearing a yellow shirt and blue jean shorts. He has a cap backwards on his head. Joey: Hey! I’m Joey! I challenge you to a battle! Declan: Oh, uh- Joey: Please? I just really really really want to battle! Declan blinks, not sure what to make of the situation. Finally, he stands up. Declan: Alright, I accept your challenge. How does a one-on-one sound? Joey: Perfect! Go, Rattata! He sounds out his Rattata while Declan gestures at Charmander, who faces the pokemon, albeit with uncertainty. Declan: Don’t worry, Charmander. You’re stronger than you were that night. Charmander nods and breathes Embers into the air, signalling that it’s ready. Joey: Quick Attack! Before Charmander can react, Rattata rushes at it, outlined in white. Charmander is hit head on and knocked onto its back. It gets up, shaking. Declan: Don’t give up, Charmander! Flame Burst! Charmander regains control of itself and launches a fireball at Rattata, which explodes into several smaller fireballs upon impact. Rattata is severely injured, but still able to fight. Joey: That’s the spirit! Let’s finish this with Bite! Declan: Metal Claw! Joey gasps as Rattata bares its teeth and pounces at Charmander, but is swatted aside with Charmander’s claw, which shines with metallic energy. Rattata skids back and falls onto its face, defeated. Joey: Rattata! He runs to his injured pokemon, worried. He looks up at Declan. Joey, nervously: You wouldn’t happen to have a Potion, would you? Rattata’s kinda my only pokemon. Declan half laughs and goes to dig through his backpack. He pulls out a purple spray bottle and applies the medicine to Rattata, who perks up and starts licking Joey. Joey smiles and stands up, putting Rattata on his shoulder. Joey: Thank you so much for the battle! I guess it shows that I need to still improve some, but.. Thank you. Now I’ve got to get to Pewter City by sundown, so I guess I’ll get going, but it was really nice meeting you, uh… Declan: Declan. Joey: Declan. I’ll remember that. He smiles and starts walking towards Pewter City. Declan scratches Charmander’s head affectionately. Declan: Charmander! Buddy, I’m so proud of you! You took that Rattata out like it was nothing! Charmander: Charman! It jumps into Declan’s arms, embracing him happily. However, this causes a great amount of pain to Declan, who falls backwards and yelps. He continues to groan in pain, his eyes closed, as Charmander and Pikachu watch in concern. Pikachu: Pika? Charmander starts crying. Charmander, sobbing: Char.. man… char! Declan winces but opens one eye. Declan: Charmander… it’s not your- ergh- fault. I’ve just been forgetting to use the medicine- agh- Nurse Joy gave me for the - ugh- burn, and now it’s irritated- ow! Just give me a few minutes. Pikachu and Charmander nod, Charmander’s crying down to a sniffle. Slowly, Declan sits himself against the tree and takes his shirt off. Sure enough, the burn is now a deep shade of red, almost purple. Pikachu crinkles his face, grossed out by the sight. Declan: Pikachu, could you please get the medicine out from my bag? Pikachu nods and scurries over to Declan’s backpack. He scuffles through it until he pulls out the jar containing burn ointment. He quickly hands it to Declan. Declan opens the lid and sticks two fingers into the jar. He then runs those fingers over the burn, wincing the whole time. His breathing gets quicker and shallower momentarily before he calms down. Moments later, he smiles and lets out a breath of relief. Pikachu: Pika! Declan: Huh? He opens his eyes to see a girl around his age standing in front of him. She has blue hair styled into pigtails and bright blue eyes. She wears a red sleeveless shirt with an unbuttoned white overshirt over it, black shorts, and white tennis shoes. She also has a Sandshrew perched on her shoulder. Declan simply groans. Declan: I suppose you want a battle. The girl flinches. Krystal: What? I- uh, no. Uh, I’m Krystal, and I stopped to see if you needed any help. You appear to be in quite a… predicament. Declan eyes his burn and then looks back up. Declan: You could say that again. Declan slowly puts his shirt back on and stands up, a bit shaky. He extends his hand to Krystal. Declan: I’m Declan, and it’s getting late. Why don’t you camp with us tonight? Krystal shakes his hand and nods. It’s much later now, the stars are out and the sun is down. Declan, Krystal, Pikachu, Charmander, and Sandshrew are gathered around a campfire. Krystal: So what brings you to this part of Kanto? Declan: I’m challenging the pokemon league. I have one badge so far, and I’m on my way to earn my second one in Cerulean City. Krystal: The pokemon league? Wow, I’m impressed! Declan: And what about you? Krystal, laughing: Oh, I’m not doing much of anything right now. Just running an errand for my boss. Declan: Your boss? Krystal: I work as Professor Elm’s assistant, over in Johto. He studies pokemon breeding. Declan: Professor Elm? I’ve heard of him! He works with Professor Oak a lot! Krystal: Yeah, that’s the one. He just had me pick up this for him. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out what appears to be a blue pot with square markings on it. Declan takes a long sniff. Declan: It smells like the ocean. What is that? Krystal: It’s called a Sea Incense. I bought it in Cerulean City. It’s a special object that allows a certain pokemon to give birth to a pokemon that it normally wouldn’t give birth to. Declan: Like, um… Pikachu giving birth to Charmander? Pikachu and Charmander look mortified while Sandshrew snickers. Krystal laughs as well. Krystal: No, silly. There’s a line of pokemon native primarily to the Johto and Hoenn regions that consists of Azurill, Marill, and Azumarill. Under normal circumstances, when Marill or Azumarill breed in captivity, they lay Marill eggs, but when exposed to the Sea Incense, they instead lay Azurill eggs. Declan: You said “In captivity”. Does that not happen in the wild? Krystal: Well, that’s the funny thing. In the wild, Azurill eggs are laid almost exclusively. Of course, Azurill’s not the only example of this, but it’s the one Professor Elm is studying as of late. Declan: I see. And are you interested in studying pokemon? Krystal: Very! Sandshrew and I have made it our lives’ work! Sandshrew nods and coos. Declan: That’s a very interesting pokemon you have there. I’ve only seen one other like it. He pulls out his pokedex and scans Sandshrew. Pokedex: '''Sandshrew, the mouse pokemon. Sandshrew prefers to live in dry areas with minimum rainfall. It can roll into a ball to protect itself from predators.' Krystal: That thing definitely isn’t wrong about water, is it, Sandshrew? Sandshrew, bitterly: Sa-and-shrew! Declan laughs heartily and then yawns. Declan: I think it may be time for bed. Pikachu and Charmander yawn too, and nod in agreement. Krystal and Sandshrew stand up and stretch, yawning as well. Sandshrew uses Sand Attack to put out the fire, and the whole camp is submerged in darkness. The next day, Declan wakes up to find that Krystal and Sandshrew have vanished. Her sleeping back and backpack are gone, and all that’s left is a note tucked under his sleeping back. He picks it up and reads it. Krystal, voice-over: Dear Declan, I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye. The thing is, I’m not really the best at farewells, and it’s best I get back to New Bark Town ASAP anyway. At any rate, it was very nice to meet you and your pokemon. I have no doubt that you’ll be a force to be reckoned with in the Indigo League! Sincerely, Krystal. P.S. I wrote my pokegear number on the back of this paper. Give me a call if you ever find yourself in Johto. P.P.S. You better not forget your medicine anymore. You don't need anyone else finding you helpless on the side of the road. Declan smiles and folds the paper away into his pocket. He takes a deep breath and takes out his jar of medicine, opening the lid. He sets the jar and lid down before taking off his shirt and picking them back up. He rolls his eyes. Declan, jokingly: For Krystal. Narrator: Our first day with our hero as a solo traveler, and things are already as hectic as ever! Find out what adventures await Declan next on To Be The Best! Major Events * Leaf and Gary reveal that they now work as interns for the Pewter City Museum, causing their departure as Declan's travelling companions. * Declan begins his journey solo. * Declan meets and battles Joey, resulting in Joey's loss. * Charmander reveals it knows Metal Claw * The true extent of Declan's burn is revealed. * Krystal and her Sandshrew are first introduced. * Professor Elm and his field of study are mentioned for the first time. Characters * Declan Perez * Leaf * Gary * Joey * Krystal Pokemon * Pikachu (Declan's) * Charmander (Declan's) * Bulbasaur (Leaf's) * Rattata (x2) (Leaf's) (Joey's) * Fearow (Leaf's) * Squirtle (Gary's) * Pidgey (Gary's) * Sandshrew (Krystal's) Trivia * This is the first episode not to introduce any new pokemon ** However, new pokemon are mentioned, just not shown * This is the first episode to reference any pokemon or region outside of Kanto. * Gary and Leaf's leaving is based off the creator's desire to have Declan travel alone for at least one region. ** This is also to avoid having to write to battles for each gym, which would've been necessary had Gary stayed with Declan * Krystal is based off both Marina from Pokemon Chronicles and Crystal (Pokémon Tales). ** Krystal's Sandshrew might also be an homage to Ian's Sandslash. * This episode reveals that Metal Claw is the move that Flint taught to Charmander in Rocks and Rocks and Rocks. * Charmander facing Joey's Rattata may be a callback to Taken By Storm, in which Charmander is attacked by a Raticate and three Rattata. * Declan stating that he's seen a Sandshrew before is a callback to Friends In Long Places, in which Leaf forces him to attempt to capture one. Category:Episodes Category:OmniDragon Category:To Be The Best